Spring for road-vehicles.



F. W. & E. D. EDWARDS. SPRING FOR ROAD VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED NOV.21. I916- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 74 KM w f N PakndedJunel8,19l8

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7% gm Wwmm, f y W mwmw F. W. 84 E. D. EDWARDS.

SPRING FOR ROAD VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, I916.

Patented June 18, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- F. W. & E. D. EDWARDS. SPRING FDR ROAD VEHICLES.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2!. 1916- LDDD DDDD Patented J 11110 18, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

F. W. (54 ETD. EDWARDS.

SPRING FOR ROAD VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED nov.2|, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4" were it FREDERICK WILLIAM lBIllilVilrEfll)S ANDELLIOTT DERHAM EDIIARDS, OF SYDNEY, NEW

SOUTH 'IAIRES AUSTRALIA.

SPRING FOR ROAD-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pmi igntgdl Jung 15, giggly,

Application filed November 21, 1916. Serial N0. 132,623.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that FREDERICK WinLiAM E1 wanes and ELLIOTT 1)]CR1IAM llnwanns, subjects of the King of. Great Britain and lreland, residing,respectively, at 486 Kent street, Sydney, New South Wales, Austraha, andmember of the Australian infantry forces on active service abroad, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Springs for Road-Vehicles, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to improve the springing of roadvehicles, particularly -motor road vehicles, in which a rear platformspring is used in association with half elliptic side springs. Itconsists essentially in using in association with the rear side springs,two separate quarter elliptic platform springs having their buttsmounted in bell cranked levers, and volute springs or similar-coiledcushion springs acting against the free arms of said levers. Theinvention includes certain accessory features partio uhulyreboumlsprings associated with the platirom spring lc-vcrs. adjusting; devicesfor altering the bearing position of the cushion springs upon said freearms, cross pivoted shackle carriers for the forward ends of the sidesprings, and similar cross pivoted shackles for carrying the front sidesprings of the vehicle.

In the accon'ipanyinodrawings Figure l is a perspective view of portionof a rear end of a motor car chasis having a platform spring fittedthereto according to this invention;

Fig. 2 rear ole 'ation oi same;

Fig. 3 half plan and horizontal section about line (Ir-(L Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 perspective view of the cross pivotal of T shackle which carriesthe trout ends of the rear side springs;

Fig. 5 vertical section through the cross pivotal shackle. N

Fig. 6 side elevational view of pivotal slide shackle for rear ends 01''front leaf springs Fig. 7 transverse sectional ele 'ation correspondingwith Fig. 6; l

, .Fig. 8 side elevational view of a pivotal shackle for the front endof a front leaf spring.

Fig. 9 elevation-a1 view illustrating a variation in the details ofconstruction shown in Figs. 1, :2 and 3.; and Fig. 10 perspective viewcorresponding with Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an elevational view illustrating a method oi subdividing thecarrier springs which act on the crank levers which carry the butts ofthe quarter elliptic platform springs.

Fig. is a corresponding side elevation omitting the bell crank arms andthe cushion springs.

We wish it to be understood that the quartcr elliptic platform springsmay be bent to form lever tails which will serve the same purpose as thelevers which carry the platform spring butts; also that the lever tailsmay be set. downward instead of upward as shown. inthe drawings, thenecessary mechanial rearrangements being in that case made to enable thecarrier springs to take care of the thrust of the lever tails. I

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3the platform bracket 1 projects rearwardly fromthe transverse rear member 2 of the car frame and is fixed thereon. Tothis bracket bolted a carrier in the ends of which oppositely arrangedbell cranks l-6 are mounted on bolt pivots 3-3. The shorter arms 4: ofthese hell cranks are of box form and accommodate the butts 5 of thequarter elliptic platform springs, said spring butts being,- suitablysecured therein by through bolts and spring clips. The free ends G 01"the. bell cranks are 'i'slotted or bored out, and accommodate slides 7having lugs 8 formed upon them which projectthrough vertical slots 9.The sleeves 7 are tapped interiorly and are movable in the arms 6 bymeans of jacks screws 10 which may be operated by nut heads 11, 12 beinga cap below which is a hxcd collar 13 which permits rotation ofthe'screwcd spindle 10 without allowing any vertical movement thereofthrough the cap 12. let is the carrier spring, preferably formed as adouble volute with intermediate fioatingcollar disk 15. In amodification the disk 15 is mounted on the bracket 1 and forms anunyielding abutment for the two carrier springs l i, which then actindependentlv. A wrist pin 16 is carried in each lug" 8. and a stem 17integral with said pin is formed with. a shoulder 18 which form... 1

. abutment for one end of one of the carrier springs 14,. The wrist pin16 is extended rearward and carries a T-sl'eeve 19 through which isfreely slidable a rod 20. Rebound springs 21 are carried upon the outerends i ofithe rod and are adjustable thereon for selves transversely soas to relieve the frame of twistingstresses due' to inequalities in roadsurface. When in consequence of the near rear. wheel passing over anobstacle, the 20 platform spring on the near side of the car isstressed, with the result that the arm 6 .on the bell crank whichcarries it is forced over toward the ofiside of the car, and this-movement is transmitted through the cush- 25 ion springs 14 to the bellcrank on the offside of the car, causing a movement in that bell crankand consequently a downward movement in theleaf spring carried by it,tending to "lift the offside of the car, and thus operatin always so asto cause both sides of the frame to rise simultaneously.

; ile the two arms'G thus operate quite inependently but always so as touse the leaf .Springs as abutments one against the other,

"' both arms may act simultaneously, the freedom of their movement beingdetermined by the constants of the sprin s 14 and the'adjustment of thesliders 7 t is obvious that f-with carrier springs 14 of certainconstants, 40 the reactive effects will depend upon the position of thesliders"? determined by the adjustment of the screwed spindles 10. Thevrebound movements which would tend to a throw the arms 6 apart aretaken careof by the rebound-springs 21 which gradually take up-the shockof the rebound as the arms 6,

separate; said springs 21 ultimately limit ing the divergent movement'ofthe arms 6.

.When the abutment disk 15 is fixed the spring movement of one side ofthe car is not .transmitted through the platform springs to the otherside of the car as when said abutment disk is floating.

It is not essential that the springs 14 should be of the volute type,but in practice that'type of spring will be found the most effective andconvenient in this construction.

It will be clear also that the pivot bolts 3 may be carried directly bylugs on the trans- 60,v.erse rear frame member 2 instead of as shown bya member bolted thereto.

' 1A platform spring thus constructed serves all the purposes, of ashock absorber with the additional feature that it imposes diminished totendency to transverse movement on the springs. formed with forked horns(31 wlnch carry on frame and body in response to relative transversemovement of the rear axle.

Facility foradjustment to vary the spring effect is also obtained,together with provisions for taking up rebound movements.

In the modified arrangement shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the two halfplatform springs operate independently on separate carrier In this casethe bracket is pivot bolts 62 the cups 63 in which the volute springs 64are seated. Through the center of each spring 64 and the cup (53 therepasses a rod 65 fitted with a nut adjuster 66 on its outer. end to setthe tension of the springs 64; the rear end of this rod is pivotallyconnected at 67 to the lever tail 68 of the stub carrier 69 in which thebutts of the platform spring leaves 7 0 are mounted, said stub carrierbeing pivotally mounted at 71 between the horns (31. As alreadydescribed, the tail 68 may be formed by continuing the spring leaves 70,bending them at the position occupied by the carrier 69 and securingthem in a {clamp which is pivotally mounted at 71 be-.

tween the horns 61. V

In the modified arrangement shown in Fig. 11, the carrier spring issubdivided. A main buffer spring 88- supports a slider 81 working on avertical guide 82, and this slider is pivotally connected through itstwo lugs 84 to the ends of the two cushion springs 85. The other ends ofthese springs set into caps 86 which are pivotally mounted on the ends87 of the carrier levers. Minor movements of either platform spring isabsorbed in the cushion spring 85 on which it acts, while any excessivemovement closes its cushion spring 85 and then acts against the bufferspring 88, in which the rest of the original movement is absorbed. Theclosing movement of the buffer spring 88 however relievesihe abutment ofthe companion cushion spring. and so automatically allows the platformspring on the other side of the vehicle to rise. In this way. eitherplatform. spring operates independently of the other in respect of minormovements of the axle, but'when the axle movement at either side ecomessubstantial the interacting spring system operates in such a way as tocause both sides of the frame to move either upward or downwardsimultaneously. Whipping movements on the frame are thus substantiallyelii'ninated androlling movements of the vehicle body minimized.

In Fig. 4, 30 is a lug which is riveted to the chassis frame. 31 is ashackle having a cylindrical stem 32 which is rotatable in the. pivotalT piece 33 and is retained in itsbearing in said T piece by a back nut34. 35 is the forward end of one of the rear main leaf springs.

The T piece 33 is mounted in the lug 30 by means of upper and lowerscrew pins 36 menace which are located against accidental With drawal bymeans of washer nut locks 37, having wings which are clipped over thelug of the carrier and up against one of the flats of the pin head. Thecylindrical stem 32 permits rotation of the shackle 31 sufficiently toallow the spring 35 to operate withouttorsional distortion, the 'l'piece 33 being in effect a universal oint between the spring eye and thechassis.

A similar principle is applied in the case of the forward springs asshown in Figs.

6, 7 and 8. In Fig. 8, 40 is the shackle jaw,

41 cylindrical stem. thereof rotatable in a bearing formed in. dumb iron42, and 43 is a baclc nut. The rear ends of the forward springs arecarried by a slide shackle as, the stem 40 of which is cylindrical andis rotat able and slidable longitudinally in the car rier 47. 48 is arebound spring on the back end of the stem 46, and 49 a back nut. Thebase of the carrier 47 may be secured to the chassis frame by means ofbolts 50 fitted with spacing thimbles 51 inserted between the frameflanges.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of. oursaid invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declarethat what we claim is 1. In a road vehicle springing system, thecombination of two semi elliptic side springs mounted at their forwardends on the vehicle frame, two quarter elliptic pldtform springsshackled to the rear ends of said side springs, separate bell cranklevers carrying the butts of said platform springs,

and coiled springs having an abutment on a frame bracket and acting onsaid bell crank ,levers. l

2. In a road vehicle springing system, the combination with halfelliptic side springs, and quarter elliptic platform springs shackledthereto and mounted on separate bell crank levers of adjustable springcarriers through which platfoi'm spring movements are communicated tobuffer springs located intern'rediate said bell crank levers.

3. In a road vehicle springing system, the coinbinatimi with halfelliptic side springs, and cuartcr elliptic platform springs shackledthereto and mounted on separate bcll crank lovers, of rebound springswith limit checks adapted to check and limit the rebound movements ofsaid platform springs.

4. In a road vehicle springing system, the combination with halfelliptic side springs shackled to quarter elliptic platform springs, ofindependent bell cranks carrying the butts of said platform springs andpivotally mounted in frame brackets, carrier springs intern'iediate saidbell crank levers which springs react against both said levers so as tocushion the leaf spring movements and communicate movements from theleaf springs on one side of the vehicle to the leaf springs on the otherside thereof.

In a road vehicle springing system, the combination of half ellipticleaf springs at either side of the vehicle, quarter elliptic platformsprings at the rear of the vehicle shackles to said half elliptic sidesprings, bell crank levers pivotally mounted on a frame member andcarrying the butts of said quarter elliptic springs, and carrier springsacting on said bell crank levers and operating to procure in the quarterelliptic platform springs the equivalent movement of springs ofsubstantially greater length than said platform springs.

6. In a road vehicle springing system, the combination of two semielliptic side springs mounted at their forward ends on the vehicleframe, two quarter elliptic platform springs shackled to the rear end ofsaid side springs, separate bell crank levers carrying the butts of saidplatform springs, coiled springs working against a frame bracket andacting on the bell crank levers, and shackled forks for the front endsof the side springs having cylindrical stems which are rotatably mountedin the brackets attached to the vehicle frame.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence 95 of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK Wl LlilAlll EDWARDS. EliLlUT'l' Dllltll/llll EDWARDS.

Witnesses to signature of Frederick VVilliam Edwards:

W. I. DAVIS, ll. (I. (lanrnnm.

Witnesses to signature of Elliott Dcrham Edwards Knrrn Mnnninn, N. N.lFouons.

